Computer help

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus) 08/23/2016 at 07:36 • Filed to: None

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What is a good graphics card (maybe $400 max) to run SketchUp? I have an AMD card and I guess they don’t play well with SketchUp.

this is the SketchUp requirement:

3D class Video Card with 512 MB of memory or higher. Please ensure that the video card driver supports OpenGL version 2.0 or higher and up to date.

something pretty for your time

Flavien Vidal > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 07:41

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You definitely don’t need a 400$ graphic card for something like that... Unless maybe you plan on modelizing an entire city with all its cars and inhabitants, it’s not necessary

TwoAngryCarbs > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 07:46

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I would say any AMD Radeon RX 460 should be able to run SketchUp without problems, you can pick one up for around 200$ brand new.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TwoAngryCarbs 08/23/2016 at 07:54

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from what I’ve heard, AMD doesn;t interface well with OpenGL or something like that.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Flavien Vidal 08/23/2016 at 07:56

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What would be slowing it down?

here is a screenshot of one of my models:

ChooChooMotherFudger > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:00

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I haven’t used sketchup, but I have used other professional 3d modelings software, and a graphics card isn’t really needed for basic stuff. But I have used GTX960 (200ish usd I am guessing they go for now) 2 or 4 gb of memory (if using for gaming, get the 4gb, ask me how I know).

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:07

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What do you have now?

And AMD cards work just fine for Sketchup.

TwoAngryCarbs > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:07

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In that case have a look at an Nvidia Quadro K420 which is a workstation card but it should have no problem dealing with basic SketchUp workloads

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:13

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I have an NVidia GeForce GTX 750Ti. Great budget card. I’m able to run GTA V on medium-high settings on one monitor with a couple chat windows open on my other two monitors. Widely regarded as the best bang-for-buck you can get in a card.

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-7…

OPPOsaurus WRX > ChooChooMotherFudger 08/23/2016 at 08:13

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so is there something else I should be looking at other than a graphics card?

this this gets slower the larger the model is to the point where I am just sitting here waiting for it

OPPOsaurus WRX > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 08/23/2016 at 08:14

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jariten1781 > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:14

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Eh?? I don't believe that. I haven't followed it lately but OpenGL has been around forever and a day (seriously, if it was a human it could vote and drink) and AMD has always played with it fine. You were probably reading about some corner cases on specific chips or new versions. I don't think you could get away with releasing a major graphics card that didn't play with OpenGL.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:14

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What processor do you have? A good budget high-performance CPU would be an older Xeon. I have a 6-core 2.4ghz Xeon I got for $20 off of eBay and tossed in an old HP workstation and that system will run laps around all but the most expensive i7s.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:17

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Get something like an RX 460 or GTX 950.

Also, can your PC support a more powerful card? Will it fit?

OPPOsaurus WRX > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 08/23/2016 at 08:26

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i think so? Its some sort of Dell tower

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:26

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What other parts are in your PC?

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:27

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Because a lot of mid range or higher cards are really large.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:36

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Depending on your system keep in mind, might need to reserve some funds for a larger watt power source.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/23/2016 at 08:41

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Intel 13-3240 CPU @ 3.40GHz

would I be better off with a new processor than video card?

random001 > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:42

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GTX1060 or 1070

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:47

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Eh. That’s a fairly mediocre consumer-spec processor. I don’t know about Sketchup but if I were running Solidworks or something I’d just buy the most expensive Xeon you can afford that will fit your motherboard. Used on eBay can net you some real good deals on a processor.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 08:47

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You should get an Nvidia Quadro, because DEDICATED SKETCHUP MACHINE. Or not.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 08/23/2016 at 08:48

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we upgraded to 16 gigs of ram not too long ago. Other than that its whatever it came with

Intel 13-3240 CPU @ 3.40GHz

OPPOsaurus WRX > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/23/2016 at 08:49

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well its my office computer ad thats pretty much what I do. Just trying to not brake the bank with this, I’d rather a raise.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/23/2016 at 08:58

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^lol.........depends on what applications you are running

Nibby > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/23/2016 at 08:59

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Sketchup is lighter than Solidworks

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:01

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I’m currently building a Quadro machine for SolidWorks use (going to buy my own license :S), but for sketchup it shouldn’t be *really* necessary - although it’s optimized like crazy for OpenGL, so it would do amazingly.

OPPOsaurus WRX > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/23/2016 at 09:02

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$4500 ??? yea i dont think thats going to happen

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:04

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You may want to upgrade your cpu as well as the gpu. I’d recommend an i7-3xxx or i5-3xxx, see if you can get a cheap one on eBay.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 08/23/2016 at 09:10

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sounds like i should just request a new computer all together

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibby 08/23/2016 at 09:10

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A blue whale is lighter than solidworks.

ChooChooMotherFudger > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:11

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Well if you can check out what is bottle necking you that would help.
If you are on PC then checkout hardware monitor for free online.
If you are on Mac, I can’t help you.

OPPOsaurus WRX > ChooChooMotherFudger 08/23/2016 at 09:17

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I have this:

I also an only in CAD right now, sketchup is the one that gets slowed down

Roundbadge > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:18

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I’m just here to say I desperately want a ‘60 Ford, like the one in your picture.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Roundbadge 08/23/2016 at 09:22

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as do I

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:22

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Previous gen of Quadro are more like $300 for a pretty good one. Top of the line is for lunatics.

ChooChooMotherFudger > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:23

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Mmmmm I don’t want to pretentd I am an expert, but I can’t see what slowing you down.
I can’t see what your ram (video or otherwise) but since your gpu is maxing at 9% I would guess that isn’t your bottle neck.

OPPOsaurus WRX > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/23/2016 at 09:27

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this is one of my more recent videos

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:36

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Since when is Sketchup graphically intensive?

My lappy has an Nvidia GeForce GT650 and has no issues with Sketchup. Those are only like $80 so just get the highest number GeForce you can within budget.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:41

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Something like this is actually pretty stout:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…

You can get a pretty good amount of card for not that much, even if the theoretical horsepower is lower than a gaming card at the same price. The advantage with a Quadro over a gaming card is better OpenGL optimization, better error checking, ability to operate at full load more consistently for renders, that sort of thing.

OPPOsaurus WRX > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/23/2016 at 09:46

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someone else was saying my processor is hurting me as well. Do you think just a video card will work, or do I need a processor as well which at that point should I just ask for a new computer?

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 08/23/2016 at 09:46

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when you get to this type of thing.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 09:55

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I think an i3 is a little behind the times to run this with - might not hurt to upgrade that. Or, get the company to get you a new PC, since you can set almost everything ahead for $300 or so and then get a ~$250 Quadro.

fintail > Roundbadge 08/23/2016 at 10:24

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Back in the 90s, my dad had a 60 Ford Country Sedan, red and white on red and white. It had a 352, and was a really cool old car. Even then it was stupendously rare, and we only ever saw one other example - never saw 60 Ford wagons of any kind at shows etc, and 60 Fords as a whole are really uncommon. The car got endless attention. He found it locally (western WA of course), it wasn’t running, had been sitting for some time. The car was clean and straight, had been sitting. Changed all the fluids and consumables, wouldn’t start. Some investigation resulted in the coil being replaced, and it fired right up. My dad kept it for awhile, but then sold it on a whim when he had too many cars - and we never saw it again. I have searched for it, nothing. I suspect it was exported, or less likely (and I hope not) maybe crashed.

IIRC it was one of the widest cars built. I remember doing some of my drivers training in it, fun to park.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 10:40

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Not really, the rest of your parts are fine.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 08/23/2016 at 10:42

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so a new processor and graphics card?

if i do that will i need a new power supply?

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 10:44

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Yeah.

Depends on what power supply you have now (what power connectors it has and it’s wattage), and what graphics card you get.

Nibby > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/23/2016 at 11:10

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Solidworks is still lighter than your mum. /sorry

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 13:40

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I’m not familiar with that app... but if it benefits from gaming-type graphics performance, read this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-g…

And bookmark this for reference and comparison:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hi…

If this is a professional app that benefits from the kind of performance Audocad or Solidworks needs, then have a look at this:

http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/nvidi…

And have a look at the benchmarks most relevant to your app here:

https://www.spec.org/gwpg/wpc.stati…

And then make a decision.

And note, if your app is something like Autocad, then you really want something with a Quadro or Fire chip. If it’s an app that benefits from the same type of performance games benefit from, then you’ll want something with a Radeon or Geforce chip.

The Radeon/fire and Geforce/Quadro chips are similar, but the difference is in how they are optimized.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 08/23/2016 at 14:10

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o man there is a lot of info there. from SketchUp info, my AMD isn’t optimized for OpenGL. I’m not sure which SketchUp is more like a game or a drafting program.

I also think my processor, an i3 is not up to what I’m asking. It seems like I need both a graphics card and a processor. I would think its more like CAD as its a 3D drafting program.

Roundbadge > fintail 08/23/2016 at 14:43

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That’s an awesome story. It’s a shame you couldn’t find it again.

I find it incredibly hard to find a ‘60 Ford that’s not a Thunderbird or a truck. I also don’t want a Skyliner. I love that front fascia, and I really think that’s a look that needs to be seen more these days.

Mondial goes to 11 > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 15:28

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I have minimal (used once) experience with Sketchup but I use Solidworks, Autocad, and Inventor so this may or may not apply.

CPU: In those programs, object creation is single threaded so processor speed is king and an old 2.4GHz Xeon is slow compared to a new i5. However, rendering is multi-threaded so that benefits from more cores.

GPU: If your graphics get choppy when panning or rotating get a beefier video card. My workstation vendor said he stopped offering AMD Firepro cards about 2 years ago because their driver support sucks now. I agree with TwoAngryCarbs that a Quadro K420 would be a good card or step up to a K620 if you think you need more. I have a K1200 and it’s overkill for what I do.

I’m no expert; this is what I recall from research I did about 2 months ago for my new workstation and I have essentially zero knowledge of Sketchup.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Mondial goes to 11 08/23/2016 at 15:47

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yea i think you have it, which is unfortunate cuz it looks like i need both a better graphics card and processor

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > OPPOsaurus WRX 08/23/2016 at 16:47

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You need graphics, a decent processor and ideally 16GB of RAM... and a power supply that can handle all that.

I did some more digging... Autocad doesn’t use OpenGL anymore... so it’s not a good comparison.

For OpenGL, you want to see these results even though they’re a bit dated:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/specvi…

And you also want to see the specviewperf-12 benchmarks for the AMD FirePro W9100... which is based on the new AMD ‘Hawaii’ chip.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/firepr…

And pay attention to the couple of consumer/gamer cards.

OpenGL used to be what games used for 3D. But now, it’s mostly DirectX.

But the implication of that is in some cases, if the professional app you’re using will get you better performance results for the dollar with a high end gamer card compared to a low end workstation card.

And for your budget of US$400, you’re looking at a lower end workstation card... or a near top-end gamer card... like an AMD Radeon R9 290x/390X ... which sells for under US$400, yet outperforms the US$4000 (approximately) AMD FirePro W9000 (which uses the previous gen chip)

And the same could be said for the Nvidia 780/880/980 TI when compared to the Quadro W6000... though for a bit more money.

The $400 workstation cards I see perform like shit for the money for OpenGL based on what I see in that 1st link.

One other thing I’d like to point out... when you look at consumer graphics card model numbers, the 1st digit is just the generation of cards. The last two digits is the hierarchy/level within that generation.

Typically a newer generation will be a bit faster for a given level. So a 780 might be about the same as an 870. That also means that the cards with the last two digits being 10,20, 30 or 40 are typically shit and are typically outperformed by a x90 card from at least 2-3 previous generations.

And I came across this discussion involving Sketchup:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-233…

That link made me want to look up the Sketchup requirements:

https://help.sketchup.com/en/article/362…

And what I get from that is that software won’t really take advantage of a workstation-class graphics card at all. It’s simply not an Autocad-caliber program.

Thus, going with a workstation-class graphics card will be a waste of money.

So go with a high end gamer card with one of the chips I already mentioned above.

fintail > Roundbadge 08/23/2016 at 17:04

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And on top of it, this was pre-digicam and pre widespread internet, so it’s hard to compile data. I have accepted that the car is lost to time.

60 Ford full size cars are pretty rare. Low production, and they were rust-prone, I think, so survival rates are low. The wagons are really rare anymore, and hardtop sedans seem uncommon too. I’ve seen many more Starliners than the deluxe Galaxie 4 door HTs. The post/non hardtop cars seem most common today. They have an interesting style, kind of links to the Euro Fords of the day, along with the 61 Continental, and are also an interesting evolutionary step between 50s and 60s design. A styling piece that amused me most is the gunsight style ornaments on the front fenders.